Petals of a White Rose
by Clarilune
Summary: Yuffie Kisaragi. Or, as you all know her by: The Great Ninja Yuffie. 10 informative chapters characterized by Yuffie that may just change your life. They sure as hell changed Yuffie's. Written for Wishing-Fire's Destiny Challenge.
1. Her First Love

**A/N: **Hello, and welcome to the story! Please know that this is my story for Wishing-Fire's Destiny Challenge. Go look up some of her challenges because she has some crazy good ones! So far, this has been a little tough to write because I am restricted to writing 200 words. If you've ever read any of my stories, you know how wordy I can be, so this really _is_ a challenge.

Anyway, the character I chose to write about is Yuffie Kisaragi. Yuffie has to be one of my favorite characters, so being able to write about her is both fun and _killer_. The Yuffie I know and love always has something to say or do, but I'm having to chain her down thanks to the word-limit. Regardless, please enjoy what she has to offer in these very restricted glimpses of her life. :)

Rated T for Yuffie Kisaragi and Cid Highwind. For real. You do not want these two around your children. Vulgar language, suggestive themes, and maybe violence.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Yuffie, any of the characters in this story, etc, etc. Challenge is by Wishing-Fire.**

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><p><em><strong>Petals of a White Rose<strong>_

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><p><em>1. Her First Love<em>

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><p>"<em>Squall.<em>" She doesn't know why she says it. She just wants to say his name.

"It's _Leon_," he corrects unpleasantly, as if he's been battling a wedgie for the past day. (Although, considering his attitude, more like his whole life.)

"_Prickly prick_ fits more." Yuffie sticks out her tongue and glances at her shuriken, which is making her stiff, burning-like-acid muscles ache to throw it to relieve the momentary twinge.

They had been training for over two hours, but Yuffie isn't willing to admit she is sore. She doesn't want to look like a wuss in front of _him_—that guy over there, the one that has a deranged obsession with changing his name and is so sweaty at this point that he's impelled to take his shirt off, which Yuffie's hormones aren't begging for—_please-for-the-sake-of-the-hormones-do-it!_—at _all_.

She's also not thinking about his unkempt hair, which wavers over glinting blue eyes that can make her as flighty as the butterflies in her stomach.

Okay, so she's thinking about him. But love has nothing to do with it.

She loves everything _except_ Squall. Promise.

…Just pretend her fingers aren't crossed.

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><p><strong>AN: **And that's the end of the first theme. So Yuffie's in love with a prickly prick, eh? ;) I was a little iffy about Yuffie calling Leon 'prickly prick'...but it just popped in my head, and I thought, "Ohmigosh. Yuffie would totally say that." I do love Squffie, but I'll try not to flaunt it _too_ much in this challenge. I'm going to have her interacting mostly with the Hollow Bastion crew, but mentions of Yuffie's crush and of course the crush himself will be involved.

By the way, there are 200 words written in this. I counted all of the words that are in the phrases connected by dashes. If you eliminate the dashes in each of the connected phrases, you will discover that there are 200 words. So don't be confused if you copy and paste just to double-check whether I did 200 words or not. I promise there are! ...Just pretend my fingers aren't crossed.

Ha, just kidding. xD So, thanks for reading if you did! The next theme is First Steps. Review if you'd like! I would love it very much. And I will REALLY love you if you can correctly guess why I named the story what it is. Hint: You won't be able to tell if you only know Yuffie by playing Kingdom Hearts.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and stay tuned!


	2. Her First Steps

**A/N: **This is a fast update, but I'm so determined to complete this challenge in a timely fashion! Thank you so much to **WishingDreamer5** for reviewing! Awesome! And thank you to anyone who added to alerts or favorites as well! :D You guys are amazing!

**Warning for vulgar language up ahead.**

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><p><em>2. Her First Steps<em>

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><p>"Mother. In. <em>Hell<em>." Yuffie wobbles on her feet, trying to ignore the pangs that are traveling up her leg.

Cid snickers while slouching in his chair.

"Shut up, Geezer. I know that's where your mother's living."

The engineer remains unfazed. "And that's where you'll be if you try to steal anything from me again, fucking brat."

The ninja swells with a rancorous response that is quickly subdued by incisive, wrenching pain. "Motherfu—!"

"Language," Aerith interjects as she enters the ongoing dispute, including the pitiful skirmish Yuffie is still having with walking.

Yuffie nearly pounces upon seeing her and then bites back another curse from having moved. "Buddy, pal, _friend_: please-do-your-freaky-healer-magic-so-I-don't-chop-these-kickers-off. I learned my lesson. When I'm stealing junk from Cid, I'll make sure none of his deadly sex toys—"

"_Tools. _You must be familiar with the word, being one your-fucking-self."

"—are lying around, so I won't break my bones by tripping."

Aerith sighs. "Yuffie, it's healed, but it'll be sore. You're helping your legs by walking. Just pretend you're taking your first steps."

"Yeah, just stick a fucking pacifier in my mouth. This _sucks_."

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><p><strong>AN: **Breaking a leg and having to walk on it after it's been in a cast _does_ suck. It hurts _so_ bad-or at least feels weird. That's what the experience was like for me anyway. Next up: The Person Yuffie Hates. Who could that be? ;) Thanks for reading, and stay tuned! Congrats to **WishingDreamer5** who guessed right as to why I named the fic the way it is.


	3. The Person She Hates

**A/N: **I have to do this really quickly because I don't have a lot of time to be on the computer, but here it is! Thank you so much to **WishingDreamer5 **and **MonMonCandie **for reviewing and to everyone who alerted or favorited! You guys made my day! :D

In this chapter: Yuffie wants to grow up in every way. Doesn't she deserve to hate someone who already has?

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><p><em>3. The Person She Hates<em>

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><p>"Tifa! That is <em>it<em>! I am stealing your boobs while you're sleeping!"

Aerith and Tifa look up, flabbergasted from the outlandish, nonsensical outburst. Then again, this _is_ Yuffie they're dealing with.

"…Pardon?"

"That's right! You'll be boobless by tomorrow!" Yuffie spats reproachfully, making how silly it sounds very serious from how much abhorrence she's exuding.

Tifa blinks. "Yuffie, what the hell?"

"Don't look at me like you have no idea what I'm talking about! I'm talking about those bombers that make men explode in their pants. Men look at them so much they're like your second pair of eyes!"

Aerith and Tifa exchange tentative glances.

"…Should I take this as some kind of sexuality confession, Yuffie?"

"No! No, no!" She waves her arms defensively, discomfited. "I'm just saying that _my_ busts are _busted_. Out of order. Out of service. Leave a message after the who-would-want-to-take-a-peep."

Tifa stares inquiringly. "Yuffie, you're still going through puberty. And honestly, it's not that big of a deal. Everyone grows in their own way—"

Yuffie covers her ears. "Lies! All lies! I hate you, Tifa Lockhart!" She darts out the door.

Aerith shrugs at Tifa's bemused glance. "Puberty."

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><p><strong>AN: **And that's it for now. Next up, Finding Herself. Thanks for reading!


	4. Finding Herself

**A/N: **Well, it's a little bit late in the day, but I wanted to update anyway. ;) Thank you to **CheshireRedfern, MonMonCandie, WishingDreamer5, **and **Starry Requiem** for reviewing and to anyone who added to favorites/alerts! You guys are so awesome! :D

In this chapter: First time meetings can lead to finding more than you bargained for. At least that's what Yuffie learns.

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><p><em>4. Finding Herself<em>

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><p>Yuffie studies the stranger's appearance.<p>

Spiky blond hair. Serious expression. Bigass sword.

_That's a chunk of hunk right there. I'll almost feel sorry for doing this._

Yuffie charges so fast that she blends with the wind. Her hands scavenge routinely until they meet items in his pockets. She's about to seize them when the stranger thoughtlessly retaliates and sends her flying.

"OW! You spiky-headed jerk! I'll make a collar out of those spikes of yours!"

"You're a ninja…from Wutai?" he observes.

"Don't molest me with your eyes! I happen to be…uh…"

"…?"

"The…_Great_ Ninja of Wutai!" she emphasizes.

"…Wutai's gone."

"S-so?"

"You're the only survivor?"

"…Y-yeah. But I'm one hell of a legacy!"

"…"

She bows her head. The tears that slide down her face are thick, round enough to be elephant tears.

Cloud stills uncomfortably.

"AH HA!" Yuffie leaps and raids his pockets. "Try not to miss me…or these!"

Later, Yuffie will follow Cloud home from imposition and loneliness and stubbornly intrude until she's welcome to a new home and life. Truthfully, she was always welcome.

That day, Yuffie found more than just a friend. She found herself. Without her friends (or her awesome title), she just wouldn't be.

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><p><strong>AN: **It's so fun to write young Yuffie. :) Originally, this was going to be lengthier and have a lot more dialogue. I actually had to rewrite this about 6 times, each with different ways of Yuffie finding herself, but this was the only one I could correctly set to the word-limit. I wanted to at least include her making a title out of the top of her head and some thievery on her part. I'm still unsatisfied with this, but it will do for now. I wrote so many alternatives to this theme that it was hard to choose which one to post.

FUN FACT: Yuffie actually tricked Cloud and the gang in Final Fantasy VII by crying, which was sort of what I wanted to emulate in this.

ANOTHER FUN FACT: Yuffie called Cloud a spiky-headed jerk upon first meeting him in Final Fantasy VII.

And just to clarify: I made Wutai (Yuffie's hometown ninja village) on the outskirts of Radiant Garden. I didn't have enough words to expand on this, but Wutai was destroyed by a mysterious fire and Yuffie ended up being the only survivor. Strange? Very...I'll just let you wonder about what happened there.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for "Yuffie's First Heartbreak". Hm...Any thoughts on that? xD


	5. Her First Heartbreak

**A/N: **Heya, everybody! Thank you so much for reading and for staying tuned! Thank you to **The Garden Review, MonMonCandie, WishingDreamer5, **and **CheshireRedfern **for reviewing! I really appreciate any comments, feedback, or criticism that you guys have to offer. It's been so much fun to write this, but you guys have made it worthwhile. :) Thank you!

In this chapter: Yuffie has felt pain before but never like this. Breaking a leg is incomparable to breaking a heart.

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><p><em>5. Her First Heartbreak<em>

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><p>"…<em>Whoa<em>."

Her conscience _should_ be cutting her tongue off and making her swallow it to save her from speaking again, yet it's spooning her words.

She had gotten to kiss Leon—for five seconds. That's a long time in bunny years. Y'know how many babies those bunnies can make in that much time?

But now what she really wants is to hide. She needs that—for her _entire_ life. Not just five seconds. Leon's expression isn't appealing at all right now…at least not to her self-esteem.

He stares like he's searching for surprise and finding none. His expressionless expression means her affection missed.

If Leon was a Heartless, she would serve her heart on a plate to him, coated by all his favorite toppings. Although Yuffie would normally feel like a block of cheese for thinking that, now she just _hurts_—hurts like a block of cheese that's been grated, shredded..._destroyed_, okay?

His words are armed, which means if he speaks, then she has to dodge this bullet. Otherwise she'll detonate with emotion, and she can't put herself back together. She isn't bulletproof.

Yuffie runs, pretending the tears are from the biting wind and not the ache in her chest.

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><p><strong>AN: **I felt that this was one that needed to be serious. At first, I was really considering writing something extremely unexpected and humorously twisted (like Chapter 3 xD), but I think it's important that this challenge explores all sides of Yuffie. I wanted this chapter to reveal her vulnerability and insecurity and how capable she is of seriousness even when she pretends she can't be. Of course, whenever I write something serious it tends to be lengthy and _long_ and_ freaking-lengthy-long. _I had to shorten this one A LOT.

And if no one understood what Yuffie meant by "she felt like a block of cheese," it means she felt cheesy, tacky, etc. So there ya go. :)

Thanks so much for reading! Next up: The Person She Can't Get Enough of/Shouldn't Be With. I'll give you a hint: It's not Leon. Though she can't get enough of that prickly prick, there's someone else she can't _stand_ being away from...yet they _can_ stand being away from her. xD Guesses, anyone?


	6. The Person She Can't Get Enough Of

**A/N: **Hello again! Even though I'm back to school (and it's sucking. Just saying.) I'm not going to abandon this story anytime soon! I'm going to complete this before the end of this year. :P I probably won't be updating weekdays, however.

Thank you so much to **MonMonCandie, WishingDreamer5, **and **CheshireRedfern **for reviewing! You guys had amazing guesses as to who would be the person for this chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who added to favorites/alerts as well!

In this chapter: Cid would make a good father, wouldn't he?

**Caution: vulgar language.**

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><p>6. The Person She Can't Get Enough ofShouldn't Be With

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><p>"You know, Geezer, you're bad for my health," Yuffie notes, as Cid exhales a puff of smoke.<p>

"Then you should get the fuck away from me," he snaps hotly.

"You're bad for your health, too."

Indifferently, he exhales a larger batch of smoke and chews on the cigarette at the corner of his mouth.

"Like, really bad," she says, coughing.

"I don't fucking care."

"Can I try one?"

"Fuck no. Get your own pack."

Yuffie sticks her tongue out, snatching the cigarette he has clutched in his mouth before he can say, "Don't you even fucking think about it!" She puts it at the edge of her mouth and then spits it out vigorously.

"Grossness! I'm infected with your germs! You nasty ass!"

"I didn't force-feed it to you! You fucking grabbed it!" he replies disdainfully. "Why are you always pestering me?"

"You remind me of my dad. You know. The dead one."

Cid is disquieted by her honesty, driven into silence from the sudden, nipping guilt.

"…And you're funny to mess with! You should see your face!"

"Fucking brat!"

Yuffie can never get the truth out without hiding it afterward. She just can't get enough of this father figure.

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><p><strong>AN: **It would be so interesting to have Cid as a father. xD

That's all for now. Next up: "The Person Who Loves Her." So, remembering the previous chapters, who do you think that could be? Think about it, but don't think too hard! I wasn't very creative when it came to this one. ;)

Thanks for reading! :D


	7. The Person Who Loves Her

**A/N: **Thank you to **WishingDreamer5, CheshireRedfern, **and **MonMonCandie **for reviewing last chapter! I don't think I'll ever shut up on how much I appreciate it. :) Thank you to everyone else who read and added to favorites/alerts!

In this chapter: Yuffie is dead...right? 'Cause otherwise this doesn't make any sense.

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><p><em>7. The Person Who Loves Her<em>

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><p>Yuffie can't even move to thaw the numbness that has encased her whole body. She does realize that she <em>must<em> be dreaming, however, because she's in Leon's arms and feeling tingly from all the warmth he's emanating.

Damn, she's cold. Why is she so cold? And wet? And gross? Is this what death feels like? Is this an angel? Did they really send one that looked like Leon to pick her up?

She tries to snarl, but her dry throat distorts it to a gurgle. Devilish angels. Is this retribution? Damn. She ate her veggies…sometimes. Wasn't that enough?

"…what happened…?"

They sent an Aerith one, too? Bastards.

"…was unconscious in the rain…"

The chatter eases into untouchable whispers. Blankets dotingly embrace Yuffie…but they're unlike the arms that had placed her there.

Yuffie cracks her eyelids open forcefully, defying the slumber trying to glue them together. The outline of Leon is there, but it's so hazy that it's hardly reassuring. She slips a quivering hand outward, seeking his sheltering presence. Rough hands clasp her own and dispatch warmth that the blankets fail to transmit.

Yep. Yuffie can't be anywhere else but heaven. A normal Leon wouldn't care this much…

Would he?

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><p><strong>AN: **Hmm...would he? ;) This isn't really explained or elaborated, but this chapter is sort of like a continuation from the fifth chapter (Yuffie's first heartbreak). She ran away and whatever happened after that led to this happening. So...yeah.

Next chapter: Yuffie's Best Friend. There have been great guesses for each chapter, so go ahead and guess because you'll probably be right for this one. :) Thanks for reading!


	8. Best Friend

**A/N: **Whoa there. This is Clarilune speaking, having been gone for...3 months? Yep, that sounds about right. Anyway, I'm back (for now) with some gracious free time. And now I can finally move forward with this challenge! I would just like to say I'm sorry to everyone who was waiting for this update and thank you if you're still here! :D

Thank you to **WishingDreamer5**, **CheshireRedfern**, **MonMonCandie**, **Charlotte**, **0Rust-Dust0**, and **Kingdomhearts4evar** for reviewing! Thank you to anyone who added to favorites/alerts! Love you guys. Seriously.

In this chapter: Best friends will always stay, even if it's against their will. But Yuffie has found a way to always have them with her.

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><p><em>8. Best Friend<em>

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><p>"Both gone…in just three days. Why didn't you say anything?" Yuffie's voice is so sharp it's like she has a knife attached to it.<p>

Aerith looks up sadly. "I'm sorry, Yuffie…"

Cloud's departure had extracted uncontainable restlessness from Tifa. In response, she left to chase frenziedly after him, citing that he was her best friend and she didn't want to lose him as the reason.

"They didn't even say goodbye." The anger that had been veiled over her voice falls like a curtain. Yuffie had been treating the tears as if they were fugitives that she must keep locked away.

She exits before she can flood the room. Aerith remains by herself until Yuffie returns.

She lifts her shuriken, pointing to the pink ribbons around the blades.

"This way you'll be with me even when you're not."

"…Is that from my dress?"

"…Would you be mad if I said yes?"

They're puzzle pieces that shouldn't go together yet somehow manage to. Aerith's helped Yuffie out in so many ways that their friendship should have crumbled from all the weight Yuffie's troubles have placed on it.

Yet, like Aerith, it will always stay.

Aerith smiles. "No. It looks better this way."

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><p><strong>AN: **So, FUN FACT time!

FUN FACT: Yuffie highly respected Aerith in Final Fantasy VII because she didn't have any nicknames or insulting names toward Aerith and also seemed very shaken and saddened by her death. When Aerith was killed in Final Fantasy VII, every person from the party (Cloud, Barret, Red XIII, Tifa, etc.) wore a pink ribbon around their arms in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children to commemorate and honor their friend. Yuffie, however, wore three: one on her arm and the other two on her shuriken. If you look in Kingdom Hearts II, the pink ribbons are still on her shuriken. Since Aerith isn't dead in the Kingdom Hearts universe, I decided there ought to be a good backstory to that one. :)

Anyway, I hope you really enjoyed this one like I enjoyed planning and writing it. Took me forever, by the way, because I couldn't decide how it was going to be. Well, this is the final draft, and although it's still very awkward to me, I'm satisfied.

Stay tuned for the next theme: Losing It All. What could Yuffie possibly lose though? ;)


	9. Losing It All

**A/N: **Thank God summer is here. Thank you to **WishingDreamer5 **and **CheshireRedfern **for reviewing!

In this chapter: When Yuffie's world is once again threatened by Heartless, she must regain the energy to fight back or lose it all.

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><p><em>9. Losing It All<em>

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><p><em>This is the end. Goodbye…<em>

Yuffie's assailed with overwhelming dizziness. Darkness splinters her vision, burdening her with the unknown as her sight is stolen from her. She can feel wisps of darkness from the vicious, needling Heartless as they forage for her heart.

In a slit of her vision, she can see her whole world flash before her. Aerith's pretty, smiling face. Leon's unyielding, cute-ass seriousness. Cloud's spiky hair. Tifa's enormous bosom (which would probably be more effective than her fists in combat). Cid's cigarette flying out of his mouth, in search of slobber-free freedom.

She had charged into the fray with a vehement cry, slashing dynamically at the monsters that had once taken her home from her and were threatening to do it again. She hadn't expected them to fight back. To fight, Yuffie believed you had to have a will and something worth fighting for. Heartless don't have that.

But Yuffie does. And now she's losing it all…

She squeezes her eyes shut. If this is the end, then… _Please be quick about it._

Suddenly, she's yanked to a stand, and her muscles are renewed with inestimable vigor.

"Yuffie, get up!" Aerith shouts.

_Nevermind! I take that back!_

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><p><strong>AN: **The end is near...The last chapter is coming up next. "Success". Ideas anyone? Thanks for reading! :)


	10. Success

In this chapter: It's official. They're here to stay. Yuffie's missed this place...but she's missed something else even more.

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><p><em>10. Success<em>

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><p>When Sora finalizes the rescue of Hollow Bastion by sealing the Keyhole, Yuffie looks toward Leon, who is mind-bogglingly <em>smiling.<em>

"Does this mean I can call you Squall again?"

His answer shocks her even more. "You know what? Just for today…but don't wear it out."

Oh, she'll do _more_ than wear it out. She'll hang it on a leash and teach it how to sit. She'll bake a cake out of it and lick the batter. She'll even _floss _with it.

Yuffie throws her arms around Sora suddenly. Aerith playfully joins the embrace.

"SORA! YOU DID IT!"

Sora grins. "No, I think _we_ did it."

"Hells yeah. With the Great Ninja Yuffie helping, this was bound to happen!"

The smiles are so big that it's like they're sustained with clear duct tape. There's a collective silence that seems to say it all: They're home, and they're here to stay.

Yuffie surveys the group mistily. They have taken back their home successfully. Now there is only one thing left to do to celebrate.

"…Squall! Squall, Squall, _Squall_—"

Leon sighs regretfully.

Yes, Yuffie definitely missed this. And she'd kick the ass of any Heartless that'd take this away from her again.

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><p><strong>AN: **And now I'm sorrowful to report that this is the end, but I don't want to leave without saying some much needed thanks.

Thank you **SO MUCH **to everyone who has ever reviewed, including: **WishingDreamer5, CheshireRedfern, MonMonCandie, Starry Requiem, The Garden Review, Charlotte, 0Rust-Dust0, KingdomHearts4evar, Lol kingdom hearts, **and **littleking9512**! I have loved reading what each of you had to say, and it certainly offered me comfort and encouragement while I was writing this challenge.

Which brings me to another point. This challenge belongs to Wishing-Fire, NOT me. Go to her profile page. She has some really great challenges.

I hope all of you have enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I've gotten to explore parts of Yuffie that were...unexplorable, let's say? From the unsettling crush of Squall to the unexpected envy of Tifa, this story has looped so much with Yuffie's actions that I think we can all agree it's pretty knotted at this point. I hope this ending was as satisfying and fitting as I felt it was, though any ending would not have been able to surmount to the overwhelming joy I felt when writing this.

And now I think I'll finish this off by saying you no longer have to stay tuned. You can turn off your television now. :) Thanks for reading!


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